Building Space for Parents to Breathe, Reset, and Thrive
Recess began with a simple but powerful insight: modern parenting is held together by spreadsheets, group texts, and late-night Googling, and it shouldn’t be. Co-founders Molly Morse and Amy Kiska were both building their careers while raising young children, and they kept asking the same question: Why is it so hard to find and book great programs for our kids?
Just as OpenTable redefined dining reservations and Airbnb reimagined home rentals, Recess is the Booking.com of kids’ activities finally making it easy to discover and book trusted programs, all in one place.
We spoke with the founders (who will become your best mom friends in an instant) about what it really means to support parents, how they’re redefining rest, and why the workplace will never thrive until parents do.
Recess is founded by Amy Kiska and Molly Morse, co-founders and previous colleagues, bringing a combined 25 years of experience in high-growth and unicorn startups. Both are mothers who have personally experienced the pain point they're addressing. Impressively, Kiska built the company while in her third trimester and successfully closed funding immediately after the birth of her child.
Recess just launched booking on platform in Austin and are looking forward to coming to your city soon!
What was the moment that sparked the idea for Recess? Was there a personal experience that revealed just how broken the system was for working parents?
(Amy Kiska): Molly and I met on the expansion team of a fast-moving startup in the heart of the pandemic. We were tasked with quickly growing the business in new markets under wild, high-pressure conditions, and we quickly realized we could take on anything together. That’s when we promised each other: One day, we’re going to start something of our own.
Fast forward a few years, and we both became moms. Molly had a toddler and was deep in the weeds trying to find activities for her daughter: scouring outdated websites, managing everything in spreadsheets, and setting calendar alerts just to register before programs filled up. She kept saying, How is this still the system? Why isn’t there a Booking.com for kid’s activities?
At the same time, I was working at an infant nutrition startup, surrounded by fellow parents who were having the same issue: summer planning was a nightmare. Camps filled up in minutes, information was scattered across dozens of sites, and no one had time to piece it all together. We realized it wasn’t just our problem: it was every parent’s problem. And it was a connection issue.
The most well-known programs were filling up in seconds, while so many incredible local providers (often small, under-resourced, and/or new to digital marketing) were going unseen. Parents were desperate for more options. Providers were eager to grow. The infrastructure to connect them simply didn’t exist. That was the spark behind Recess.
Why the name “Recess”? What does it represent to you, especially in the context of adult life?
We chose the name Recess because it captures something so simple, but so powerful: a break. A breath. A moment of ease. As parents, the mental load is relentless: the calendars, the signups, the backup plans, the invisible logistics. It often feels like there’s no pause button, no room to reset. We wanted to build something that helps lighten that load, not just by solving a logistical problem, but by creating more space for parents to actually enjoy family life.
And Recess isn’t just a break for adults: it’s bringing joy to kids. It’s where memories are made, confidence is built, and curiosity thrives. That’s what we’re building at Recess: a platform that gives parents back time, gives kids access to enriching experiences, and brings a little more ease, connection, and delight to the everyday rhythm of family life.
How do you make Recess feel like more than just a service — but a space that supports identity, autonomy, and healing for parents?
We designed Recess to be more than a booking tool: it’s a support system for modern parenting. At its core, Recess is about helping parents see what’s actually available to them: real-time openings in camps and classes that align with their child’s age, interests, and personality, without the late-night Googling and spreadsheet juggling. But it’s also about celebrating who your child is.
Whether your kid wants to learn to DJ, dance to Taylor Swift all week, or learn to code while playing Dungeons & Dragons on the side: there’s a provider for that. And we love connecting families with the programs that embrace and uplift those individual passions.
When parents don’t have to scramble just to make a plan, they gain something deeper: autonomy, confidence, and the space to enjoy the journey. Recess helps reclaim time and emotional energy, so families can focus more on growth and joy, and less on logistics.
Recess centers around working parents, especially moms. What do you think the modern working parent truly needs — and often isn’t getting?
I co-founded Recess with Molly while six months pregnant. It wasn’t the easiest time to start a company, but we couldn’t ignore what we were hearing from parents every day: there still aren’t enough solutions for working families.
We talk about the childcare crisis, but the conversation is often too narrow. Parents don’t just need daycare: they need a full ecosystem of support when school ends early and parents are still working. Camps, after-school programs, enrichment activities: these are essential parts of how families make life work. Yet too often, those options are so difficult to find. Programs seem full, websites are outdated, and parents are left scrambling.
Research has shown that many moms drop out of the workforce due to a lack of accessible, reliable care options. At Recess, we’re building the infrastructure that should have existed all along: a way to easily find and book trusted programs, so parents can make confident, easy decisions for their families, and stay in the workforce if they choose to.
What’s next for Recess — and what would your dream version of the future of work look like for parents?
Right now, we’re launching Recess in our first market (Austin, Texas) before expanding to cities across the country. The long-term vision is nationwide: every parent, in every zip code, should have easy access to trusted enrichment programs for their kids.
To us, the future of work for parents isn’t just about flexibility: it’s about removing friction. It should be simple to find and book programs that match your child’s interests and fit your family’s schedule. Less time searching means more time spent with your kids, and fewer tradeoffs between showing up at work and showing up at home.
We love how Harbor gives parents peace of mind by ensuring their child is safe and cared for. At Recess, we’re building the next layer of that support by making it effortless to access enriching, joyful experiences for kids, while giving parents a “Recess,” giving them back time and room to breathe.
Head over to Hello-Recess.com!
